Weaving is an ancient art.
Weaving is an ancient art. There is no knowledge of how it specifically began, due to the fragile makeup of weaving materials, but with practically every civilization discovered, it is believed that weaving was a part of daily life, says Susan C. Wylly, professor of art at Georgia College and State University, in her article "The Art and History of Weaving." Textiles are fragile and do not readily stand the test of thousands of years of erosion and other natural acts, so not many textile relics actually exist, Wylly says. But in certain environmental conditions, such as deserts, cold places and sealed tombs, pieces of woven materials have survived, as well as the weaving tools that created them.
Instructions
Make a Flat Weaving Loom
1. Obtain a piece of strong cardboard.
2. Measure the cardboard with a ruler. Mark a square 6 inches by 8 inches. Cut the cardboard into a square.
3. Use scissors to make even incisions about 1 inch long in two opposite ends of the cardboard. Make the incisions from edge to edge on both ends, about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch apart.
4. Use material, such as heavy string or yarn, cover the cardboard weaving loom. Start at the edge and thread up through each incision.
5. Tie a knot and cut the string or yarn when the weaving loom is covered.
Make an Oatmeal or Salt Box Weaving Loom
6. Obtain an empty oatmeal or salt container.
7. Make notches 1/2 inch apart at the top and bottom of the container. Slightly bend the notches down so that the yarn, string or ribbon will stay in place.
8. Wind string, yarn or ribbon up and down the container, threading it under the bent ends of the notches to hold it in place. This base string is the warp.
9. Take a large-hole needlework needle, or make one out of a craft stick by making a hole in one end of the craft stick. Thread it with yarn or string.
10. Weave the yarn or string in and out of the warp. Tie off and cut when the container has been covered.
11. Take the finished weaving off the container loom.
